The Pursuit of Happyness

If you are looking for inspiration in the theaters, The Pursuit of Happyness is a good movie to see. Will Smith, a great actor in any role, plays Christopher Gardner, a man who is raising a son while battling homelessness and despair, pursuing his dream of being something great (in this case, a successful stockbroker). The movie focuses on the relationship he has with his son and how important it was to take care of him. At one point in the movie, they are staying at a shelter being ran by a Methodist Church. The scene with him and his son during a worship service there is priceless. I can't really describe it in a way that does it justice, but you'll know what I mean when you see it.

So, what does this have to do with my theme, The Gospel According to Austin? Well, I did manage to make this one work! Christopher Gardner will keynote the 14th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Jan. 20 at the Riverbend Centre in Austin. Riverbend Centre is also the location of Riverbend Church, a place I had been attending for the last few months before embarking on this recent journey. I'll probably get around to attending Riverbend one Sunday for the purpose of blogging it on here, but I want to wait a bit because I want to try to have a fresh perspective on the service. Anyway, if you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it. If you live in the Austin area, you may want to try to get to it and then go see Mr. Gardner speak at Riverbend.